[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 97 (Monday, July 20, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H5891-H5901]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1630
                   BORDER SMOG REDUCTION ACT OF 1998

  Mr. BILBRAY. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 8) to amend the Clean Air Act to deny entry into the United 
States of certain foreign motor vehicles that do not comply with State 
laws governing motor vehicle emissions, and for other purposes, as 
amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                                 H.R. 8

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Border Smog Reduction Act of 
     1998''.

     SEC. 2. AMENDMENT OF CLEAN AIR ACT.

       Section 183 of the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7511b) is 
     amended by adding the following new subsection at the end:
       ``(h) Vehicles Entering Ozone Nonattainment Areas.--
       ``(1) Authority regarding ozone inspection and maintenance 
     testing.--No noncommercial motor vehicle registered in a 
     foreign country and operated by a United States citizen or by 
     an alien who is a permanent resident of the United States, or 
     who holds a valid visa for purposes of employment or 
     educational study in the United States, may enter a serious, 
     severe, or extreme ozone nonattainment area from a foreign 
     country bordering the United States and contiguous to such 
     nonattainment area more than twice in a single 12-month 
     period, if State law has requirements for the inspection and 
     maintenance of such vehicles under the applicable 
     implementation plan in the nonattainment area. The preceding 
     sentence shall not apply if the operator presents 
     documentation at the United States border entry point 
     establishing that the vehicle has complied with such 
     requirements that are in effect and are applicable to motor 
     vehicles of the same type and model year.
       ``(2) Sanctions for violations.--The President of the 
     United States may impose and collect from the operator of any 
     motor vehicle who violates, or attempts to violate, paragraph 
     (1) a civil penalty of not more than $200, except that in any 
     case of repeated violations or attempted violations such 
     penalty may not exceed $400.
       ``(3) State election.--The prohibition set forth in 
     paragraph (1) shall not apply in any State which elects to be 
     exempt from the prohibition. Such election shall take effect 
     upon the President's receipt of written notice from the 
     Governor of the State notifying the President of such 
     election.
       ``(4) State election for other nonattainment areas.--
       ``(A) In general.--In the case of a State that is 
     contiguous with a foreign country and that contains an ozone 
     nonattainment area (other than an ozone nonattainment area to 
     which paragraph (1) applies), such State may elect for the 
     prohibition described in such paragraph to apply in the 
     State, or may elect to establish in accordance with 
     subparagraph (B) an alternative approach to facilitate the 
     compliance, by motor vehicles registered in foreign countries 
     and entering

[[Page H5892]]

     such nonattainment area, with the motor vehicle inspection 
     and maintenance requirements in effect under the applicable 
     implementation plan in the nonattainment area and applicable 
     to motor vehicles of the same type and model year.
       ``(B) Alternative approach.--An alternative approach by a 
     State under subparagraph (A) is established in accordance 
     with this subparagraph if the Governor of the State submits 
     to the President a written description of such approach and 
     the President approves the approach as facilitating 
     compliance for purposes of such subparagraph.
       ``(C) Effective date regarding state election.--If a State 
     makes an election under subparagraph (A) for an alternative 
     approach, the alternative approach takes effect in the State 
     one year after the date on which the President approves the 
     approach. If the State makes the other election under such 
     subparagraph, the prohibition described in paragraph (1) 
     takes effect in the State 180 days after the President's 
     receipt of written notice from the Governor of the State 
     notifying the President of such election.
       ``(5) Alternative approach regarding serious, severe, and 
     extreme areas.--In the case of a State containing an ozone 
     nonattainment area to which paragraph (1) applies, paragraph 
     (4) applies to the State to the same extent and in the same 
     manner as such paragraph applies to States described in such 
     paragraph, subject to paragraph (3).
       ``(6) Definition.--For purposes of this section, a serious, 
     severe, or extreme ozone nonattainment area is a Serious 
     Area, a Severe Area, or an Extreme Area as classified under 
     section 181, respectively, other than any such area first 
     classified under such section after the date of the enactment 
     of the Border Smog Reduction Act of 1998.''.

     SEC. 3. GENERAL PROVISIONS.

       (a) In General.--The amendment made by section 2 takes 
     effect 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act. 
     Nothing in such amendment shall be construed to require 
     action that is inconsistent with the obligations of the 
     United States under any international agreement.
       (b) Information.--As promptly as practicable following the 
     enactment of this Act, the appropriate agency of the United 
     States shall distribute information to publicize the 
     prohibition set forth in the amendment made by section 2 and 
     its effective date.

     SEC. 4. STUDY BY GENERAL ACCOUNTING OFFICE.

       (a) In General.--The Comptroller General of the United 
     States shall conduct a study of the impact of the amendment 
     made by this Act, as described in subsection (b).
       (b) Contents of Study.--The study under subsection (a) 
     shall compare the potential impact of the amendment made by 
     this Act on air quality in ozone nonattainment areas affected 
     by such amendment with the impact on air quality in the same 
     areas caused by the increase in vehicles engaged in commerce 
     operating in the United States and registered in, or operated 
     from, Mexico, as a result of the implementation of the North 
     American Free Trade Agreement.
       (c) Report.--Not later than July 1, 1999, the Comptroller 
     General of the United States shall submit to the Committee on 
     Commerce of the House of Representatives, and the Committee 
     on Environment and Public Works of the Senate, a report 
     describing the findings of the study under subsection (a).

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Stearns). Pursuant to the rule, the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Bilbray) and the gentleman from Ohio 
(Mr. Brown) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California (Mr. Bilbray).


                             General Leave

  Mr. BILBRAY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their 
remarks on H.R. 8, and to insert extraneous material on the bill.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. BILBRAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  (Mr. BILBRAY asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. BILBRAY. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Border Smog 
Reduction Act of 1998.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 8 is a bipartisan, common sense bill which will 
improve and protect both the environment and the public health by 
requiring the Federal Government to participate in the enforcement of 
existing air pollution control laws at our borders, laws which have 
been de facto mandated from the Federal level. At the heart of this 
bill is a basic issue of fairness, in addition to a clear opportunity 
to improve the public health and protect the air quality.
  The chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Barton) was an original cosponsor of the bill 
and brought back much information from Texas. I would like to point out 
the help I received from the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis), 
and the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Bliley), both of whom provided 
encouragment and extensive work during this process. Their support has 
been second to none. I also appreciate the hard work of their staffs 
that they devoted to H.R. 8.
  I would also like to thank my colleague, the gentleman from Texas 
(Mr. Reyes), a new addition to this Congress, whose firsthand 
experience along the border has been extremely beneficial and has 
complemented the extensive input that I have received from the Customs 
and the INS agents in the San Diego region. I am also grateful for the 
support of my colleagues from the California delegation who have helped 
me out immensely in this process, and also my colleagues on the 
Committee on Commerce.
  I would specifically like to thank my subcommittee colleagues who 
took the time away from their own districts and families to attend an 
informative field hearing on this issue which was held in San Diego on 
November 18, 1997: the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis), the 
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Brown), the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Ganske), 
and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Green).
  I would also like to emphasize the ongoing dialogue that I have had 
with the Administration on this bill, specifically the Office of U.S. 
Trade Relations, and the Environmental Protection Agency. My dialogue 
with EPA Administrator Carol Browner and Assistant Administrator 
Richard Wilson dates back to the 104th Congress when I first introduced 
this legislation.
  In meetings last fall, I received some very insightful and 
appropriate perspective from our Trade Representative, Ms. Barshefsky. 
In the time since, there has been what I would term a very productive 
and fruitful exchange with the Administration, which has helped to 
refine and polish H.R. 8 into the bipartisan legislation which was 
unanimously approved by voice vote on June 24 by the full Committee on 
Commerce.
  I particularly appreciate assistant administrator Mr. Wilson's help 
on this item, who met with me and staff on May 20 of this year. At that 
meeting, we reviewed a modified draft of H.R. 8, which I had prepared 
and provided to him in advance, and which he and his staff agreed 
addressed a number of questions which EPA had previously expressed 
about the bill. In this meeting, Mr. Wilson stated to me that ``if the 
bill as now written were to come before the President, we (EPA) would 
not recommend a veto.'' Mr. Wilson further stated that at that time the 
EPA would favor an ``opt-in'' approach for other States, which was in 
fact adopted during the committee consideration of H.R. 8.
  I recognize and share the EPA's concerns about the ``opening-up'' of 
the Clean Air Act, and I would like to again state clearly my resolve, 
which has also been clearly stated by the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. 
Bliley), that it is my intention, and also the intention of all of us 
who support it, to keep this bill as it currently is: a narrow, 
bipartisan rifle-shot to improve the Clean Air Act.
  The Border Smog Reduction Act is a simple but practical bill, which 
will increase the overall effectiveness of our air pollution control 
strategies by providing the Federal Government with the authority, 
which it currently lacks, to help States enforce existing law. H.R. 8 
will ultimately allow Customs officers to deny entry into the United 
States to foreign registered commuter vehicles which have not been 
brought into compliance with our emissions control requirements.
  As the Customs officers have explained to me, this authority will be 
consistent with existing Customs pollution control requirements as they 
now pertain to vehicles which are being imported for sale. H.R. 8 
provides ample opportunity for the operators of these commuter vehicles 
to have them brought into compliance prior to the law taking effect.
  I would emphasize here that H.R. 8 is directed only at foreign-plated 
commuter vehicles driven into the United States each day by foreign 
nationals or U.S. citizens for the purpose of employment or education. 
It will be the responsibility of the drivers of the vehicles to 
demonstrate compliance with applicable State laws, or risk fines and 
denial of access via that vehicle into the United States.

[[Page H5893]]

  H.R. 8 does not specifically require the impoundment of vehicles; 
Customs officers already have that authority to do so under existing 
civil penalty procedures and can employ this at their discretion. 
Customs agents have told me that once this bill has been implemented, 
and border commuters are made aware of and understand the new 
requirements, it is unlikely that commuters with vehicles which are not 
in compliance will repeatedly attempt to drive those vehicles across 
the border. Those that do would eventually be denied access to the 
U.S., be subject to fines from Customs, and potentially to the 
impoundment of the vehicles in question, again at the discretion of the 
Customs agents, but only after repeated attempts to violate the law.
  H.R. 8 will initially take effect in California only. However, it is 
not exclusively U.S.-Mexico border legislation. I specifically made 
certain that H.R. 8 extends enforcement authority to all border States 
that may at some point wish to take advantage of it, and allows them to 
have the flexibility to use it as they see fit, depending on the unique 
situations that exist and vary from State to State. Other border States 
which in the future may choose to take advantage of the authority 
provided them by this bill could adopt either the California program, 
or develop their own alternative in partnership with the Federal 
Government. However, the bill imposes no mandates or requirements on 
eligible border States.
  Let me at this point again specifically thank the men and women of 
the Immigration and Naturalization Service and the Customs Department 
who actually man the ports of entry at San Ysidro and Otay Mesa, and 
whose expertise and perspective was essential in helping me to refine 
H.R. 8 since I first introduced the bill in the 104th Congress.
  Mr. Speaker, I have here letters from the National Treasury Employees 
Union Chapter 105, and the American Federation of Government Employees 
Local 2805 in support of H.R. 8, and I would ask to include them in the 
Record at the appropriate time. I also have several other documents, 
including resolutions of support from the Air Pollution Control 
Districts of San Diego County, Riverside County, and San Bernardino 
County which I will include also in the Record:
                                       National Treasury Employees


                                           Union, Chapter 105,

                                     San Ysidro, CA, May 14, 1998.
     Hon. Brian Bilbray,
     Forty-ninth Congressional District, Washington, DC.
       Dear Congressman Bilbray: On April 17, I met with you and 
     your staff in San Diego regarding H.R. 8, the Border Smog 
     Reduction Act. This meeting was to clarify questions about 
     H.R. 8. It was also to determine if the everyday line 
     inspectors thought the bill was workable and could be 
     effectively implemented, without having a negative impact on 
     the primary mission of Customs, drug interdiction, or 
     creating longer traffic waits at the border.
       In our meeting you clarified that this bill would only 
     target, and be applicable to, foreign plated commuter 
     vehicles being driven across the border by U.S. citizens, 
     resident aliens, or aliens with a valid visa for purposes of 
     employment or educational study in the United States. This 
     bill would not impact vehicles which are properly registered 
     in California as such vehicles already have emission 
     certification. H.R. 8 would not affect the residents of 
     Mexico who cross into and out of the United States on a daily 
     basis, to do everyday business, nor would it affect tourists 
     who come across the border to shop, visit friends or family 
     and so forth.
       We also talked about how H.R. 8 would work, and what the 
     requirements of the Customs Inspector would be regarding the 
     vehicles in question. It was further clarified that under the 
     bill, the responsibility of the inspector would be to check 
     if the vehicle was registered in California, therefore having 
     smog certification. This could be done via computer or 
     physically seeing proof of registration. If the vehicle was 
     not registered in California the driver would have to show 
     the inspector some documentation verifying smog 
     certification. If it could not be proven that the vehicle in 
     question was either registered in California or had smog 
     certification, after the third attempt to enter the United 
     States, the vehicle would be denied access to the United 
     States and redirected to the country of origin.
       We discussed the need for incorporation into the bill of a 
     60-90 day ``grace'' period, between the enactment of the bill 
     into law and its actual implementation. This period would be 
     used as an educational and awareness-raising process to 
     inform the regular border commuters whose vehicles would be 
     required to comply with H.R. 8.
       Given the above understanding, implementation of H.R. 8 is 
     a practical reality, and would simply build upon Customs' 
     existing pollution control enforcement practices. Currently 
     we are required to ensure that vehicles which are 
     manufactured in Europe, Japan, Mexico, or elsewhere meet both 
     United States and California auto emission and safety 
     standards prior to being driven into the United States by 
     United States citizens or foreign nationals residing in the 
     United States.
       If these vehicles are found not be in compliance, do not 
     have the required safety features, such as safety glass, nor 
     an Air Pollution Control device installed, they are returned 
     to the country of origin. This is allowed to happen once. If 
     a United States citizen, or foreign national residing in the 
     United States, attempts to drive the vehicle in question 
     across the border into the United States, and the vehicle 
     cannot be shown, by physical inspection, to meet Department 
     of Transportation safety standards nor have an air pollution 
     device installed it is seized by Customs.
       H.R. 8 would merely expand Customs existing authority to 
     enforce air pollution standards, by requiring compliance of 
     foreign-plated vehicles driven into the United States by 
     United States citizens, or by foreign nationals with visas 
     for purposes of employment or education. Based on our 
     discussion and my own years of practical experience at the 
     border, I believe that this bill can work and will serve to 
     reduce air pollution from these cross border mobile sources. 
     This bill will not result in excessive or unrealistic work 
     load for individual Customs line inspectors. Nor will the 
     bill interfere with our primary mission, seizure of narcotics 
     or other contraband, or cause excessive traffic wait times. 
     NTEU Chapter 105 still supports H.R. 8. Please let me know if 
     I can be of additional assistance on this important matter.
           Sincerely,
                                                     Robert Clark,
     President NTEU 105.
                                  ____



                                              AFGE Local 2805,

                                     San Diego, CA, June 12, 1998.
     Hon. Brian P. Bilbray,
     U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
       Dear Representative Bilbray: On June 8, 1998, Local Vice 
     President Anthony J. Cerone and I met with you at your San 
     Diego office.
       At that meeting we presented our affirmative position on 
     H.R. 3251. That law would define ``severe economic 
     conditions'' and establish a standard for formulating annual 
     pay raises for federal employees under the Federal Employees 
     Pay Comparability Act. This law would benefit San Diego 
     County's 160,000 federal employees, our families, and the 
     local economy. We are encouraged that you will support this 
     critical piece of legislation.
       You also introduced and explained H.R. 8, the Border Smog 
     Reduction Act, to us. This Amendment to Section 183 of the 
     Clean Air Act was authored by you. We believe this 
     legislation would effectively eliminate a portion of the 
     vehicle exhaust producing pollution at our international land 
     ports of entry. Daily our immigration inspectors are exposed 
     to high levels of these pollutants.
       In August of 1997, the National Institute for Occupational 
     Safety and Health (NIOSH), conducted a heath hazard 
     evaluation at the San Ysidro, California, International Port 
     Of Entry. That study determined that immigration inspectors 
     are exposed to carbon monoxide levels that are ``. . . above 
     NIOSH criteria''. We believe this U.S. government agency 
     study conclusively supports your position in creating and 
     introducing legislation, H.R. 8, that would protect our 
     employees, our citizens, and our environment.
       In behalf of the 3,000 employees of this local and those of 
     the western region, I fully support this valuable piece of 
     legislation and am committed to assisting you in its passage. 
     If there is any further assistance I can render in your 
     pursuit of this bill, please do not hesitate to contact me.
           Sincerely,
                                                 R. Michael Magee,
                          National Vice President, Western Region.

     National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)


                 INS Inspections at the San Ysidro POE 

       In August of 1997, NIOSH representatives conducted a health 
     hazard evaluation at the San Ysidro Port of Entry (POE). We 
     looked into employee and management concerns about exposure 
     to vehicle exhaust and noise. This sheet summarizes our 
     evaluation and findings.


                             WHAT NIOSH DID

       We focused on worker exposures in the primary and pre-
     primary inspection areas of lanes 1-24.
       We tested the air for vehicle exhaust emissions. The 
     specific chemicals we tested for were carbon monoxide, carbon 
     dioxide, lead, and hydrocarbons (benzene, ethyl benzene, 
     total xylenes, toluene, hexane, pentane, octane, and 
     heptane).
       We measured noise levels inspectors encounter during the 
     day. We measured noise levels in each inspection booth.
       We looked at the ventilation systems providing air to the 
     24 inspection booths.
       We looked at the ventilation systems removing air from the 
     24 inspection lanes.


                            WHAT NIOSH FOUND

       (The full report lists the actual chemical levels NIOSH 
     found and explains how those chemicals may affect the health 
     of the exposed employees.)
       Inspectors were exposed to one-minute peaks of carbon 
     monoxide that are above NIOSH critiera.
       Job rotation reduced carbon monoxide exposures to 
     acceptable levels for the whole work day.

[[Page H5894]]

       The levels of carbon monoxide were higher in the pre-
     primary inspection area than they were in the primary 
     inspection area.
       Lead, carbon dioxide, noise, and hydrocarbon levels were 
     below all exposure criteria.
       The supply air to booths 1-24 is not balanced. Some booths 
     get too much air, others don't get enough.
       The exhaust air vents in lanes 1-24 is not strong enough to 
     remove vehicle exhaust emissions.


                    WHAT TO DO FOR MORE INFORMATION

       We encourage you to read the full report. If you would like 
     a copy, either ask your health and safety representative to 
     make you a copy or call 1-800-35-NIOSH and ask for HETA 
     report # 97-0291-2681.


                        WHAT INS MANAGERS CAN DO

       Local exhaust ventilation and booths should be built in the 
     pre-primary inspection area.
       INS inspectors should be limited to one 15-minute shift per 
     day in the pre-primary inspection area until appropriate 
     exhaust ventilation and booths can be built.
       Any INS inspector who works for 15-minutes in the pre-
     primary inspection area should not work around automobile 
     exhaust for any other part of the work shift.
       The exhaust ventilation in lanes 1-24 should be increased 
     to capture more vehicle exhausts.
       The supply ventilation to the booths should be balanced so 
     that air flow is equal in each booth. This should help reduce 
     noise levels in some booths.
       The set point on the canopy dilution fans should be lowered 
     from 35 ppm to 25 ppm of carbon monoxide.
       A hearing conservation program should be started for 
     officers who qualify their weapons on a firing range.
       An ongoing program of evaluating personal carbon monoxide 
     exposures should be started.


                       WHAT INS EMPLOYEES CAN DO

       Don't work for more than 15-minutes in the pre-primary 
     inspection area, until local exhaust ventilation and booths 
     can be built.
       If you work in the pre-primary inspection area for 15-
     minutes, don't work in any other area of vehicle exhaust 
     exposure for your entire work shift.
       Spend as much time as possible in the booths when 
     conducting inspections.
       Pregnant workers, and workers with heart disease or 
     respiratory disease are more susceptible to carbon monoxide. 
     Consult your doctor about your personal situation.
       Inspectors should avoid changing ceiling dampers in the 
     booths.
                                  ____


        Contact: Darren Pudgil/531-5511, Date: October 23, 1996

Supervisors Endorse Bill Requiring Vehicles Crossing U.S. Border To Be 
                             Smog-Certified

       San Diego--The county Board of Supervisors today took aim 
     at regional air pollution, and voted to support federal 
     legislation requiring U.S. Customs agents to deny entry to 
     vehicles that do not meet California emission standards.
       The bill (H.R. 8), introduced by Congressman Brian Bilbray, 
     would apply to those who possess a valid green card and 
     commute to work regularly in San Diego. It would not apply to 
     those who periodically cross the border for tourism- and 
     commerce-related purposes.
       ``Our border with Mexico is a vibrant region, and our 
     neighbors in Mexico are part of San Diego's economic 
     vitality,'' said Congressman Brian Bilbray, who testified 
     before the Board. ``However, that does not mean that 
     environmental laws and standards should only be honored by 
     San Diego commuters and ignored by commuters from Mexico. 
     This legislation will allow Customs officials to enforce our 
     clean air laws, so that we all breath cleaner, healthier 
     air.''
       ``Air quality in San Diego County continues to be a high 
     priority for this Board, and this bill will serve to improve 
     air quality in the San Diego-Tijuana air basin,'' said 
     Supervisor Greg Cox, who represents southern San Diego 
     County, including the San Ysidro and Otay Mesa ports of 
     entry.
       In San Diego, the legislation would require Customs 
     officials to inspect cars headed northbound for the proper 
     emissions inspection sticker. If cars entering the United 
     States have not been ``smogged'' to California air quality 
     standards, drivers will be given written notice, and it will 
     be recorded by Customs officials.
       After the initial warning and notice, drivers without a 
     properly smogged vehicle, who try to cross the border will be 
     denied on the second attempt. Customs officials will be able 
     to impound the vehicle and/or fine the driver on the third 
     attempt to enter the U.S. with proper smog certification.
       The bill is expected to be deliberated by Congress next 
     spring.
                                  ____

                                         Mojave Desert Air Quality


                                          Management District,

                                  Victorville, CA, April 28, 1997.
     Hon. Brian Bilbray,
     U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
       Dear Representative Bilbray: Enclosed please find a 
     Resolution of the Mojave Desert Air Quality Management 
     District supporting a change in the law to require certain 
     motor vehicles entering the United States on a regular basis 
     to comply with California or other applicable state motor 
     vehicles emission laws. The proposal has been introduced in 
     H.R. 8 (Bilbray, Barton, Bono, Calvert, Condit, Cunningham, 
     Filner, and Hunter).
       The legislation is trying to address the problem created by 
     the residents who live in the communities near the United 
     States-Mexico border, register their vehicles in Mexico, and 
     escape compliance with state motor vehicles emission laws. 
     Many such residents cross the border on a daily basis for 
     work, school, or travel extensively in the United States and 
     who contribute substantially to the region's air pollution 
     problems.
       The legislation provides for education and then progressive 
     enforcement. Enforcement would include giving of notice, 
     imposing fines, and eventually impounding the non-compliant 
     vehicles.
       On behalf of the citizens of the Mojave Desert Air 
     District, I am urging you to support H.R. 8 because it would 
     help California comply with the requirements of the Federal 
     Clean Air Act. If you have any questions, please feel free to 
     call me or Fazle Rab Quadri, District Counsel, at 760/245-
     1661 extension 5034.
           Sincerely,
                                                     Larry Bowden,
                                         Chair Mojave Desert AQMD.
       Enclosure

 A Resolution of the Governing Board of the Mojave Desert Air Quality 
 Management District in Support of H.R. 8-Border Smog Reduction Act of 
                                 1977.

       On March 24, 1997, on motion by Member LOUX, seconded by 
     Member WILSON, and carried, the following resolution is 
     adopted:
       WHEREAS, the Federal Clean Air Act (FCAA; 42 U.S.C. 
     Sec. Sec. 7401 et seq.) requires the designation of air 
     quality control regions in regards to the National Ambient 
     Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) (FCAA Sec. 107(d); 42 U.S.C. 
     Sec. 7407(d)); and classification in regards to ozone and its 
     precursors (FCAA Sec. 181(a); 42 U.S.C. Sec. 7511(a)) as 
     promulgated by U.S. EPA; and
       WHEREAS, many persons, either residing in the United States 
     or in the border communities in Mexico register their motor 
     vehicles in Mexico; and
       WHEREAS, the San Diego Air Pollution Control District has 
     found that roughly 70,000 communter vehicles registered in 
     Mexico cross the border into the United States on a daily 
     basis and produce thirteen percent (13%) of the region's 
     total; air pollution; and
       WHEREAS, many of these persons work, attend educational 
     institutions or travel extensively within Southern 
     California; and
       WHEREAS, many of the motor vehicles utilized by these 
     persons to commute and travel within Southern California do 
     not comply with California standards for motor vehicle 
     tailpipe emissions; and
       WHEREAS, these unregulated, noncompliance motor vehicles 
     are detrimental to the efforts of the local air districts to 
     comply with the mandates of the FCAA; and
       WHEREAS, motor vehicles emit Volatile Organic Compounds 
     (VOC) and Oxides of Nitrogen (Nox) which are precursors to 
     ozone formation; and
       WHEREAS, nine percent (9%) of the VOC and nine percent (9%) 
     of the Nox generated in the South Coast Air Quality 
     Management District is attributable to non-commercial motor 
     vehicles registered both in the United States and Mexico; and
       WHEREAS, ten percent (10%) of the VOC and four percent of 
     the Nox in the Mojave Desert Air Quality Management District 
     (MDAQMD) is attributable to non-commercial motor vehicles 
     registered in the United States and Mexico; and
       WHEREAS, these detrimental effects are compounded within 
     the MDAQMD due to the overwhelming impact of transported air 
     pollution from upwind area; and
       WHEREAS, area in the MDAQMD is designated non-attainment 
     for NAAQS and classified Severe-17 for ozone thereby requires 
     extensive efforts to reduce air pollution; and
       WHEREAS, U.S. Representatives Brian Bilbray (R-49-CA), Joe 
     Barton (R-6-TX), Sonny Bono (R-44-CA), Ken Calvert (R-43-CA), 
     Gary Condit (R-18-CA), Randy (Duke) Cunningham (R-51-CA), Bob 
     Filner (D-50-CA), and Duncan L. Hunter (R-52-CA) have 
     introduced a bill H.R. 8, which would amend the FCAA to allow 
     the denial of entry into the United States by certain foreign 
     motor vehicles that do not comply with State laws governing 
     motor vehicle emissions; and
       WHEREAS, the enactment of H.R. 8 would benefit all non-
     attainment areas in border regions of the United States as 
     well as those areas directly impacted by transported air 
     pollution from such non-attainment areas.
       NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Governing Board of 
     the Mojave Desert Air Quality Management District 
     respectfully urges the California delegation to support and 
     the United States Congress to enact H.R. 8 or other 
     legislation which lessens the impact upon non-attainment 
     areas of foreign motor vehicles which do not comply with 
     State laws governing motor vehicle emissions.
       PASSED, APPROVED AND ADOPTED by the Governing Board of the 
     Mojave Desert Air Quality Management District.
       I, Linda Beck, Clerk of the Governing Board of the Mojave 
     Desert Air Quality Management District, hereby certify the 
     foregoing to be a full, true and correct copy of the record 
     of the action as the same appears in the Official Minutes of 
     said Governing Board at its meeting of March 24, 1997.
                                     Clerk of the Governing Board,
                    Mojave Desert Air Quality Management District.

[[Page H5895]]

     
                                  ____
                                                  Riverside County


                                         Board of Supervisors,

                                     Riverside, CA, June 16, 1997.
     Hon. Michael Bilirakis,
     Chairman, House Commerce Subcommittee on Health and 
         Environment, Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, 
         DC.
       Dear Chairman Bilirakis: The Riverside County Board of 
     Supervisors supports legislation introduced by Congressman 
     Bilbray which would amend the Clean Air Act to deny the entry 
     of certain foreign motor vehicles which do not comply with 
     State laws governing motor vehicle emissions.
  Congressman Bilbray's H.R. 8 would assist the County's in its efforts 
to reduce air pollution from motor vehicles and ensure greater public 
health and environmental protection resulting from cleaner air. Many 
vehicles crossing the border from Mexico do not meet State and local 
Federal air quality requirements control standards. The support of the 
Federal government would be beneficial to local agencies such as the 
County in its attempt to enforce State laws regarding vehicle emissions 
and emission controls, inspections, and State vehicle registration 
laws. Additionally, this legislation would improve the region's air 
quality, moving the County a step closer in meeting the requirements of 
the Clean Air Act.
  Please take action as soon as possible on Congressman Bilbray's 
measure or similar legislation which would prohibit the entry of 
foreign motor vehicles which fail to comply with State laws on motor 
vehicle emissions.
           Sincerely yours,
                                               Roger F. Honberger,
                                        Washington Representative.

                           Resolution 97-130


            supporting the border smog reduction act of 1997

       Whereas, the Environmental Protection Agency requires 
     States to adopt vehicle emissions standards to attain 
     healthful air quality; and
       Whereas, States have implemented these standards through 
     the smog certification process coupled with vehicle 
     registration; and
       Whereas, foreign residents who commute to work or to school 
     in the U.S. are required to register their vehicles in their 
     State of employment in order to comply with applicable clean 
     air laws; and
       Whereas, due to lack of enforcement, many of these 
     commuters drive cars which do not meet the smog standards 
     required by the State in which they work or study; and
       Whereas, a study by the San Diego Air Pollution Control 
     District identified that commuter vehicles that cross the 
     border on a regular basis produce 13% of the region's total 
     vehicle air pollution; and
       Whereas, the emissions produced by these vehicles is 
     detrimental to the efforts of otherwise stringent compliance 
     plans; and
       Whereas, proposed legislation would require border commuter 
     vehicles to meet emissions standards or be denied access into 
     the U.S.; now therefore,
       Be it resolved that the Board of Supervisors of the County 
     of Riverside, State of California, assembled in regular 
     session on May 27, 1997, does hereby support the Border Smog 
     Reduction Act of 1997; and be it further
       Resolved that the Clerk of the Board forward copies of 
     Resolution 97-130 to the County's Washington Representative 
     for distribution to appropriate members of Congress, 
     Congressional staff and committees.

           [From the San Diego Union-Tribune, Oct. 26, 1996]

           Imported Smog--Vehicles From Mexico Add to Problem

       With California cracking down on smog-belching vehicles in 
     its Smog Check II program, government must make sure that 
     commuters who live in Baja California but work on this side 
     of the border also comply with state emission limits.
       Currently, Mexican residents and Americans who live in Baja 
     are supposed to register their vehicles here if they work on 
     this side of the border. That means they are supposed to 
     comply with California's smog standards.
       But many don't, because the rules are not well enforced. 
     Many daily commuters drive cars registered in Mexico. And 
     some U.S. residents register their cars in Mexico to avoid 
     smog inspections and costly repairs in California.
       A study by the San Diego Air Pollution Control District 
     showed that about 7,000 vehicles with Mexican plates, driven 
     by commuters, cross the border each day. These cars and 
     trucks produce 13 percent of the total vehicle air pollution 
     in our county. That's an astounding figure. Something needs 
     to be done about it.
       The county Board of Supervisors this week endorsed 
     legislation by Rep. Brian Bilbray, R-Imperial Beach, that 
     would allow federal border inspectors to crack down on cars 
     that are registered in Mexico but are driven by people who 
     work north of the border. Bilbray, who is running for re-
     election, says border inspectors already have the computer 
     technology to make such checks.
       This is a good idea, one that Congress should pass next 
     year. If U.S. residents who properly register and maintain 
     their cars must comply with our state's rigorous smog 
     standards, then those who come here to work from Mexico must 
     too.
                                  ____


           [From the San Diego Union-Tribune, Nov. 19, 1997]

  Border Tour Boosts Bill to Compel Registration of Mexican Cars Here

                           (By Steve La Rue)

       Congressmen from Florida, Ohio, Iowa and Texas stood in 
     clouds of auto exhaust at the San Ysidro border crossing 
     yesterday and said they understood what Rep. Brian Bilbray, 
     R-Imperial Beach, has been talking about.
       They voiced support for Bilbray's bill to allow federal 
     officers at the border to enforce a law that requires 
     commuters from Mexico to register their vehicles in 
     California.
       The measure also would have the effect of requiring these 
     vehicles to have smog checks every two years. Vehicle-related 
     air pollution could be cut as much as 13 percent as a result, 
     studies suggest.
       ``Existing law requires international commuters to have 
     their cars registered and smogged (in California), and that 
     law is not being enforced,'' Bilbray said.
       ``With economic opportunities should also come 
     environmental responsibilities.''
       The occasion was a morning border tour for five members of 
     the House Commerce Subcommittee of Health and the 
     Environment, who later met at the County Administration 
     Center to hold the bill's first formal hearing.
       Bilbray's bill would allow the U.S. Customs Service to 
     impound vehicles registered in Mexico and fine their drivers 
     if they attempt to commute into the United States in cars 
     that do not meet emission standards. The drivers would get 
     two warnings before their cars were impounded.
       The law would affect at least 7,000 of the roughly 45,000 
     vehicles that cross the border at San Ysidro each day, said 
     Rudy Camacho, Customs Service director for Southern 
     California. Tourists would be exempt.
       Mexican-registered vehicles produce disproportionate 
     volumes of smog, experts say, because many are not engineered 
     to comply with California standards or are not well-
     maintained or have been stripped of smog control devices.
       Currently, federal border officers have no power to detain 
     drivers of Mexican-registered vehicles on environmental 
     grounds, Camacho said.
       Subcommittee Chairman Mike Bilirakis, R-Fla., said, ``We 
     don't want to do anything to prevent Mexican nationals from 
     coming here and making their living.''
       But the U.S. environmental laws ``are tough on our own 
     citizens and, darn it, ought to be just as tough on those who 
     cross the border and make a living here,'' he said.
       Bilbray's bill is expected to clear the subcommittee next 
     year.
                                  ____


          [From the San Diego Business Journal Nov. 24, 1997]

   Bilbray Urges Crackdown on Transborder Polluters--Bill Would Stop 
                   Vehicles at Border to Protect Air

                           (By Pat Broderick)

       Shocked. That's how U.S. Rep. Brian Bilbray described the 
     reactions of congressmen who accompanied him Nov. 18 on a 
     tour to examine transborder air pollution.
       ``This morning, we saw gross polluters,'' the San Diego 
     Republican said in an interview following the tour. ``We 
     watched smog and pollution flying out of vehicles (crossing 
     the border).
       ``It was eye-opening for the members of Congress who came. 
     Anyone with a pair of eyes or a nose will understand that 
     this pollution needs to be addressed.''
       He was accompanied by Congressmen Mike Bilirakis, R-Fla., 
     chairman of the House Commerce Subcommittee on Health and the 
     Environment; Greg Ganske, R-Iowa; Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio; and 
     Gene Green, D-Texas. They were briefed by U.S. Customs 
     Service officials during the tour.
       Bilbray said he is trying to shore up support for HR-8, the 
     Border Smog Reduction Act he's cosponsoring, along with 
     Congressmen Joe Barton, R-Texas; Sonny Bono, R-Calif.; Ken 
     Calvert, R-Calif.; Gary Condit, R-Calif.; Randy Cunningham, 
     R-Cal.; Bob Filner, D-Calif.; and Duncan L. Hunter, R-Calif.
       Introduced Jan. 7 in the House of Representatives, HR-8 
     would amend the Clean Air Act to deny entry into the United 
     States to any foreign vehicle that doesn't comply with state 
     laws governing motor vehicle emissions.
       Currently, Bilbray said, there is nothing customs officials 
     can do to stem the rising tide of polluting vehicles.
       ``Technically, people who are coming to work with 
     unregistered cars are in violation of existing statutes,'' 
     Bilbray said. ``But customs agents who have witnessed this 
     are not authorized to turn cars back. They have no authority 
     to address any of those environmental issues.''
       Consequently, he said, the lack of enforcement has led to a 
     critical pollution problem.
       According to a fact sheet on HR-8:
       A study by the San Diego Air Pollution Control District 
     found that, in San Diego County, some 7,000 commuter vehicles 
     registered in Mexico cross the border on a daily basis. The 
     commuter population alone produces 13 percent of the region's 
     total vehicle air pollution.
       Mexican residents, including some Americans who live in 
     Mexico but commute to

[[Page H5896]]

     work or to school in the United States, are required to 
     register their vehicles in their state of employment to 
     comply with clean air laws.
       Due to lack of enforcement, many of these commuters drive 
     cars that don't meet the smog standards required by the state 
     in which they work or study.
       A majority of these cars are registered in Mexico, some by 
     U.S. residents who do so to avoid expensive vehicle emission 
     control inspections and repairs required by the state, 
     according to the fact sheet.
       ``I have neighbors who had done this,'' Bilbray said.
       HR-8, he said, would give commuters three chances to come 
     into compliance with the law.
       Noncomplying Mexico-registered vehicles would be noted in 
     the computer at the U.S. border point of entry and the driver 
     would be warned.
       Drivers who attempt to enter the United States more than 
     twice in a single 12-month period would be found in violation 
     of the law, and be subject to a fine of $200.
       If the fine isn't paid at the time entry is attempted, 
     customs would be authorized to impound the car until the fine 
     is paid.
       But Peter M. Rooney, secretary for the California 
     Environmental Protection Agency, said that impounding cars 
     isn't the answer.
       Rooney recalled the march last year of 15,000 irate 
     Californians to the state Capitol building when they heard 
     rumors their cars could be impounded for smog check 
     violations.
       ``It was an all-day rally, a cross-section of California,'' 
     he said, ``solid citizens who felt deeply that confiscating 
     people's cars is not the proper way for government to respond 
     to social issues.''
       Pointing to the fact that California has the nation's 
     strictest pollution standards for autos, he said, ``We don't 
     exclude others from coming in.''
       As for possible solutions, Rooney said he expected that new 
     cars being sold in Mexico are of higher quality than older 
     ones, potentially easing the cross-border problem. The 
     cleaner California fuel, he added, also could have an impact.
       ``If American petroleum companies start selling fuel in 
     Tijuana and Mexicali, we have the opportunity to have fuels 
     that are formulated for California to be sold there and get 
     the benefit.''
       Overall, Rooney said, there only is so much a state can do 
     to ensure air quality.
       ``I don't think the state of California is in a position to 
     step into an area that has a cross-border jurisdiction,'' he 
     said. ``We do have the duty to our citizens to make the air 
     as clean as possible. But there are certain limits to what we 
     can do.
       ``We hope the citizens of San Diego will maintain their 
     vehicles at a level that is in the best interest of everyone, 
     and that the fuel in this state is cleaner fuel. But on the 
     other side of the border, it's out of our control.''
       Meanwhile, Bilbray said he hoped that the shocked response 
     of his fellow congressmen during the tour will lead to 
     bipartisan support of the bill, and perhaps, action by March.
       ``Without this bill, you've got a huge gaping hole in air 
     pollution strategies,'' Bilbray said.

          [From the San Diego Daily Transcript, Nov. 19, 1997]

          Bilbray Pushes for Law on Border Emission Standards

                          (By Chris Diedoardo)

       San Ysidro.--Although thousands of illegal immigrants and 
     hundreds of pounds of illicit narcotics cross the border with 
     Mexico every year, Rep. Brian Bilbray, R-San Diego, has 
     declared war on a new enemy; smog.
       ``Gentlemen, this is what we call no-man's land,'' Bilbray 
     said to a group of congressmen visiting the clogged vehicle 
     intake lines at the San Ysidro border crossing on Tuesday. 
     ``While we generally don't think of the U.S. Customs Service 
     as an environmental agency, they really need to be.''
       The delegation was in town to drum up support for H.R. 8, 
     which is intended to bar Mexican vehicles from the U.S. that 
     don't meet California's emissions standards.
       ``Current air pollution laws say if you work in San Diego, 
     your car is supposed to be smogged in San Diego County,'' 
     Bilbray said.
       Unfortunately, since the U.S. Customs Service currently 
     lacks authorization to inspect incoming vehicles to determine 
     if they are in compliance, Bilbray said thousands of 
     commuters from Mexico are evading the regulatory net.
       ``With the rights of economic opportunity come 
     environmental responsibilities,'' Bilbray said. ``And you 
     have a lot of U.S. residents that register their cars in Baja 
     California to avoid California's regulations.
       ``There's a real fairness issue here when California and 
     the Environmental Protection Administration are talking about 
     stricter smog regulations and yet you've got people who 
     aren't playing by the rules now.''
       Under the provisions of the bill, drivers who couldn't 
     produce proof the vehicle was in compliance with state law 
     the first two times they crossed the border would be given 
     verbal warnings. On the third attempt, they would be denied 
     entry and either fined or face the impound of their vehicle.
       Although tourists and those visiting relatives would be 
     exempt from the proposed requirements, some observers wonder 
     if it will be viewed as another de facto barrier between the 
     two nations.
       Bilbray dismissed such suspicions as groundless.
       ``Anybody can take anything as an `anti-' measure,'' he 
     said. ``It's a pro-environmental measure.
       ``No matter what country you come from the laws ought to be 
     enforced and the environment protected.''
       According to a recent study by the San Diego Air Pollution 
     Control District, 7,000 commuter vehicles cross at San Ysidro 
     and Otay Mesa every day. In the district's view, that traffic 
     accounts for 13 percent of the region's air pollution.
       But others question whether Bilbray is trying to cage the 
     wind.
       ``There's a reason behind registering the car in Tijuana 
     and not in the U.S. and it's an economic reason,'' said 
     Lourdes Sandoval, a spokeswoman for the Mexican Consulate in 
     San Diego, who added that those factors would probably 
     preclude most commuters from bringing their vehicles up to 
     code.
       ``It will be very difficult to enforce,'' Sandoval said. 
     ``And the amount of people that would be covered under this 
     bill is so small that I don't think it would affect the 
     pollution in San Diego.''
       Another concern is the additional burden the bill would 
     place on customs officers, who already must deal with between 
     40,000 and 45,000 cars per day.
       ``It would take a little extra time,'' said Bobbie Cassidy, 
     a spokeswoman for the customs service, as she pointed to the 
     seemingly endless lines of vehicles waiting to enter the U.S. 
     Tuesday morning. ``But you can see what a little extra time 
     with each car would create.''
       Rudy Camacho, director of the San Diego field office, said 
     he agreed but that the problem would be mitigated with the 
     passage of time.
       ``It will be interesting,'' Camacho said. ``Initially, it 
     will be a time-intensive operation which would drop off as 
     people learned the requirements.''
       However, Bilbray wants to give Camacho and his officers 
     some high-tech help, courtesy of Tucson-based Remote Sensing 
     Technologies.
       The Tucson-based firm manufactures remote emissions 
     sensors, which can determine how much carbon monoxide a 
     vehicle is releasing into the atmosphere.
       Under Bilbray's plan, one or more of the devices would be 
     installed in the secondary inspection area, where they would 
     function as a secondary line of defense.
       ``You cannot fool the system,'' said Niranjan Vescio, RST's 
     director of marketing. ``There are many pieces of information 
     it looks for before it makes a judgment.''
       However, as the sensors were being demonstrated several 
     customs officers were busy in the secondary inspection area 
     in pursuit of a different type of information.
       Though the timing was ironic, it offered Camacho a golden 
     opportunity to state what his agency's main priority was.
       ``I don't want my boys looking for emissions when they 
     should be looking for dope,'' he said, after several agents 
     seized 177 pounds of marijuana hidden inside a car's tires 
     and behind the dashboard.
                                  ____


           [From the San Diego Union-Tribune, June 25, 1998]

             Panel OKs Bill To Curb Border's Smog-Belchers

                            (By Dana Wilkie)

       Washington.--It soon could be easier to crack down on smog-
     belching cars that come from Mexico into San Diego County 
     under a bill that passed a key House committee yesterday.
       The legislation by Rep. Brian Bilbray, R-Imperial Beach, 
     would let border agents fine drivers and eventually impound 
     cars if the vehicles were not registered in California with 
     proper smog-check certification.
       As ``someone who's lived with all these (pollution) 
     problems my whole life, I'm excited'' about passage of the 
     legislation, Bilbray told the House Commerce Committee, which 
     approved his bill on a unanimous voice vote.
       ``For those of us along the frontier, we felt for so long 
     that nobody gave a damn, that it was sort of like this part 
     of America was sold out,'' he said.
       The legislation, which applies only to California, requires 
     approval of the full House, and then would move to the 
     Senate. Final action is unlikely until late summer or early 
     fall.
       Mexican-registered vehicles produced disproportionate 
     volumes of smog, experts say, because many are not engineered 
     to comply with California standards, are not well-maintained 
     or have been stripped of smog-control devices.
       Bilbray's legislation would affect at least 7,000 of the 
     estimated 45,000 vehicles that cross the San Diego-Tijuana 
     border each day. Drivers would get two warnings before their 
     cars were impounded.
       Bilbray, a member of the committee, said fines and 
     impoundments of smog-belching cars could cut vehicle-related 
     air pollution as much as 13 percent.
       California law already requires international commuters to 
     have their cars registered in California and checked every 
     two years to make sure that emissions do not exceed 
     California limits.
       Federal border agents, however, have no power to detain 
     drivers of Mexican-registered vehicles on environmental 
     grounds. Bilbray's legislation, HR-8, would give them that 
     authority.

[[Page H5897]]

       The congressman said it is simple for agents to ensure that 
     border commuters have had smog checks simply by entering 
     license plate numbers into a computer database.
       Some lawmakers said they were concerned that the bill does 
     not address commercial vehicles, only passenger cars. A 
     Bilbray aide explained that including commercial vehicles 
     would open ``a Pandora's box of problems'' which could hinder 
     cross-border commerce under the North American Free Trade 
     Agreement.
       Rep. Ron Klink, D-Pa., expressed worry that Bilbray's 
     legislation might distract border agents from the more 
     pressing duties of intercepting illegal drug traffic and 
     illegal immigrants.
       ``I have concerns about the smog coming from the tailpipes 
     of these vehicles, but in the whole scheme of things it seems 
     . . . less of a priority,'' Klink said.
       Bilbray assured him that U.S. Customs Service agents do not 
     believe that the legislation would create ``unacceptable or 
     unrealistic workloads . . . nor interfere with'' the 
     interception of illegal drugs and illegal immigrants.
                                  ____


          [From Environment & Energy Mid-Week. June 25, 1998]

   Border Smog Bill Wins Bipartisan Backing in House Commerce Markup

                            [By Neil Franz]

       Rep. Brian Bilbray (R-Calif.) succeeded on Wednesday in 
     gaining the support of key Democrats for an amended version 
     of the Border Smog Reduction Act, and the House Commerce 
     Committee was at press time preparing for what seemed a 
     noncontroversial final vote. Addressing concerns of ``opening 
     up'' the Clean Air Act, which H.R. 8 amends, Chairman Tom 
     Bliley (R-Va.) pledged to do everything in his power to keep 
     the bill narrow and suggested the House leadership proceed on 
     the floor under suspension of the rules.
       Written by Bilbray, who represents the San Diego area, H.R. 
     8 changes the CAA to deny entry into the United States any 
     foreign vehicles that do not comply with state laws governing 
     motor vehicles emissions. Some Mexicans, as well as 
     Americans, who live in Mexico but commute to the United 
     States are apparently ignoring the federal law's directive to 
     have their vehicles registered in their working state--
     controlling the tailpipe emissions being the focust--because 
     federal agents are not permitted to enforce the mandate, 
     Bilbray said. State officials do not have authority at the 
     border on the issue, while Mexico is notoriously loose in 
     comparison on environmental standards.
       The bill ``makes a great deal of sense,'' said Rep. Henry 
     Waxman (D-Calif.).
       Resulting from a number of concerns expressed at a June 19 
     subcommittee markup, Bilbray added a major qualification: the 
     legislation only applies to the California border and states 
     may choose to ``opt in'' on the mandates of H.R. 8, not ``opt 
     out.'' States may also choose to develop their own plan to 
     address the problem, subject to approval of the president. 
     The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and many Democrats 
     had noted serious reservations about the broader implications 
     of the original H.R. 8; Michigan Rep. Bart Stupak (D) sought 
     to exempt all states bordering Canada, where air pollution is 
     less of a concern.
                                  ____

  


           [From Regulation, Law & Economics, June 25, 1998]

House Panel OKs Bill To Bar U.S. Entry of Cars Into Ozone Nonattainment 
                                 Areas

                           (By Cheryl Hogue)

       Federal border crossing officials could prevent cars from 
     regularly crossing from Canada or Mexico into U.S. areas that 
     violate federal ozone standards, under legislation approved 
     June 24 by the House Commerce Committee.
       Under its carefully worded provisions, only California 
     would automatically be covered by the bill (H.R. 8). But 
     other states ask to be covered, according to the bill, which 
     was approved by voice vote.
       The prohibition would apply only to cars crossing into U.S. 
     regions contiguous with ozone nonattainment areas in states 
     requiring inspection of tailpipe emissions, according to the 
     measure. It would apply only to noncommercial vehicles that 
     go over the border more than twice during any 12-month 
     period.
       As introduced, the bill applied to both Canada and Mexico. 
     But the Commerce Subcommittee on Health and Environment 
     amended the bill to apply to ``a foreign country bordering 
     the United States . . . other than Canada.''
       But the bill's sponsor, Rep. Brian Bilbray (R-Calif.), 
     offered an amendment, adopted by the full committee in a 
     voice vote, that would make no exception for cars coming from 
     Canada. But the amendment also narrowed the legislation to 
     apply automatically only to states with an I/M program and to 
     nonattainment areas classified as serious, severe, or 
     extreme. A Bilbray staffer said only California now meets all 
     these criteria.


                          Election of Coverage

       Bilbray said H.R. 8 is aimed at commuters who live in 
     Mexico and work in California. However, he said, the bill 
     allows other border states with I/M programs voluntarily to 
     elect to have the prohibition apply to their ozone 
     nonattainment areas not classified as serious, severe, or 
     extreme but that are contiguous to the border.
       Under Bilbray's amendment, a state electing this coverage 
     could also come up with ``an alternative approach'' to its I/
     M program ``to facilitate compliance by motor vehicles 
     registered in foreign countries.'' This alternative approach 
     would have to be approved by the federal government before 
     border agents would begin turning cars away, according to the 
     amendment.
       Bilbray said these alternative plans could apply to 
     emissions from commercial vehicles--as well as noncommercial 
     ones--registered in a foreign country.


                            Implementation.

       Bilbray said unions representing border patrol employees 
     have told him in writing that the bill could be implemented 
     in California without increasing agents' workloads, 
     distracting them from seizing illegal drugs, or causing 
     excessive lines at border crossings.
       For each vehicle crossing the border now, license plate 
     numbers and the jurisdiction issuing the plate are entered 
     into a computer, Bilbray said. Border patrol computers are 
     already linked to the California data base for emission 
     inspections, he said, so that checking whether a foreign-
     registered car had passed a California emission inspection 
     would be automated.
       Under current federal law, U.S.-border agents can stop 
     entry into California of cars that have not passed state 
     emission inspections only if the vehicles will be sold in the 
     state, Bilbary said.


                        clean air act amendment

       H.R. 8 would add a new provision to Section 183 of the 
     Clean Air Act.
       California Rep. Henry Waxman, the senior Democrat on the 
     Commerce Committee, said he did not want the bill to be ``a 
     vehicle for other Clean Air Act amendments.''
       Rep. Thomas Bliley (R-Va.), chairman of the Commerce 
     Committee, said he would do everything he could ``to see that 
     this bill is not expanded in any way.''
       Bilbray said he, as author of the legislation, wants the 
     bill to remain as narrow and focused as possible.


                      nafta effect on air quality

       The committee also adopted by voice vote an amendment to 
     H.R. 8 that would require the General Accounting Office to 
     study the effects of the North American Free Trade Agreement 
     on air quality around the border. Rep. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) 
     offered the amendment.
       Brown said his amendment was not designed to prejudge 
     NAFTA's environmental effects. However, the trade deal has 
     significantly increased traffic, especially commercial 
     vehicles, crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, he said.

            [From Environment & Energy Weekly, July 6, 1998]

          Bilbray, Bliley Prep Smog Bill for Quick Floor Vote

                            (By Neil Franz)

       A fast-moving House bill would amend the Clean Air Act, a 
     legislative move feared by most environmental groups. But 
     after winning bipartisan backing on June 24 for the Border 
     Smog Reduction Act and easily clearing the measure from the 
     full House Commerce Committee, Chairman Tom Bliley (R-Va.) 
     pledged to do everything in his power to keep H.R. 8 clean 
     and narrow. He, along with Health and Environment 
     Subcommittee Chairman Michael Bilirakis (R-Fla.) and the 
     bill's author, Rep. Brian Bilbray (R-Calif.), also suggested 
     the House leadership proceed under suspension of the rules 
     for a quick floor vote.
       What happens if H.R. 8 reaches the Senate floor, though, is 
     beyond Bliley's reach, he said. Democrats on the panel 
     continually expressed their concerns about seeing the bill 
     transform into a vehicle for ``opening up'' of the CAA.
       Introduced early last year by Bilbray, who represents the 
     San Diego area, H.R. 8 changes the act to deny entry into the 
     United States any foreign vehicles that do not comply with 
     state laws governing motor vehicle emissions. Some Mexicans, 
     as well as Americans, who live in Mexico but commute to the 
     United States are apparently ignoring the federal law's 
     directive to have their vehicles registered in their working 
     state--controlling the tailpipe emissions being the focus--
     because federal agents are not permitted to enforce the 
     mandate, Bilbray said. State officials do not have authority 
     at the border on the issue, while Mexico is notoriously loose 
     in comparison on environmental standards.
       The bill would therefore allow federal agents to enforce 
     the states' standards for non-commercial vehicle emissions, 
     thus helping to reduce smog. (Bilbray said he wishes to 
     address the noncompliance of commercial vehicle emissions 
     crossing the border at another time.) The CAA now only allows 
     federal agents to prevent vehicles not registered in the 
     states from crossing the border for sale.
       The bill ``makes a great deal of sense,'' said Rep. Henry 
     Waxman (D-Calif.).
       A study by the San Diego Air Pollution Control District 
     found that roughly 7,000 commuter vehicles registered in 
     Mexico cross the border every day. The study further said 
     this Mexico commuter population produces, by itself, 13 
     percent of the region's

[[Page H5898]]

     total vehicle air pollution. The California Air Resources 
     Board of the state's Environmental Protection Agency has 
     pledged its support for the legislation, as have the Southern 
     California unions of federal border officials, Bilbray said.
       Resulting from a number of concerns expressed at a June 19 
     subcommittee markup, Bilbray added a main criterion to the 
     bill: the legislation only applies to the California border 
     and states may choose to ``opt in'' on the mandates of H.R. 
     8, not ``opt out.'' States may also develop their own plan to 
     address the loophole in the CAA, subject to approval of the 
     president. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and many 
     Democrats had noted serious reservations about the broader 
     implications of the original H.R. 8; Michigan Rep. Bart 
     Stupak (D) sought to exempt all states bordering Canada, 
     where air pollution is less of a problem.
                                  ____

  


                [From the Union-Tribune, June 27, 1998]

     Smog Intervention--Bill Would Aim at Nabbing Mexican Polluters

       As the largest city on the border, San Diego suffers 
     disproportionately from the growing volume of air pollution 
     generated by Mexican-registered vehicles that lack adequate 
     smog controls. That's why San Diegans should cheer the House 
     Commerce Committee's approval this week of a bill by Rep. 
     Brian Bilbray, R-Imperial Beach, to crack down on Mexican-
     registered polluters.
       California law requires Mexican-based autos that commute 
     daily into the state to meet California emission standards. 
     Most of these vehicles are owned by workers who live in 
     Mexico but have jobs in California. They include both 
     American and Mexican nationals.
       The problem, however, is that U.S. border agents have no 
     legal authority to stop border commuters who lack California 
     smog-check certificates. Bilbray's legislation would close 
     that enforcement loophole, empowering U.S. agents to impound 
     the vehicles of border commuters who are repeat offenders of 
     California's air pollution laws.
       He estimates the crackdown on Mexican-based polluters would 
     curb vehicular smog in San Diego by as much as 13 percent--a 
     very significant amount, considering that autos account for 
     the lion's share of our air pollution.
       With the Commerce Committee's approval of the bill, it is 
     expected to win passage on the House floor later this year. 
     But it has no champion in the Senate. Without one, it will 
     die when Congress adjourns in the fall.
       Bilbray's proposal applies to border crossings in 
     California only. Thus the only senators with a stake in it 
     are California Democrats Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer. 
     Our hope is that they will team up to win Senate approval of 
     the House bill so that San Diegans can breathe a bit easier.
  Mr. BILBRAY. Mr. Speaker, I would also like to emphasize my 
appreciation for the cooperation and assistance which has been provided 
by the California Air Resources Board and the California EPA. The 
support and the perspective of these agencies have been invaluable in 
this process.
  With the increased enforcement under H.R. 8, gross-polluting vehicles 
will be either repaired and brought into compliance, or simply left 
parked in the driveway. This will have the initial direct effect of 
removing the disproportionately high emissions of these vehicles from 
our air, and hopefully the long-term, indirect effect of increasing 
binational use of San Diego's public transit system which runs directly 
to the border. In both situations, the health of the people of both San 
Diego and Tijuana benefit, particularly vulnerable populations like 
children and the elderly, as does the environment of the entire region.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge the support of my colleagues for this common 
sense and fair piece of legislation named H.R. 8, the Border Smog 
Reduction Act of 1998.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise to express my support for H.R. 8, the Border Smog 
Reduction Act. I would like to thank the gentleman from Florida (Mr. 
Bilirakis) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Bilbray) for working 
with me, with the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Dingell) and with the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Waxman) during the Committee on 
Commerce's consideration of H.R. 8 to make several important 
improvements in the legislation.
  During consideration of this legislation by the Committee on 
Commerce, my colleagues agreed to an amendment which I offered to study 
the effects of the North American Free Trade Agreement on air quality 
in communities along the United States-Mexico border. The provision 
requires the General Accounting Office to conduct a study comparing the 
potential effect of this legislation on air quality in ozone 
nonattainment areas with air quality in these same areas caused by 
vehicles registered in or operating from Mexico as a result of 
implementation of NAFTA.
  In November of last year, the Subcommittee on Health and the 
Environment held a field hearing in San Diego to hear from witnesses on 
the effect of transborder air pollution caused by commuter vehicles on 
the air quality of our border region. While in San Diego I had the 
opportunity to see firsthand the thousands of trucks, many owned by 
American corporations, crossing our border, most of the time without 
inspection. Four years after the passage of NAFTA, environmental 
conditions on the Mexican border have further decayed, air and water 
quality in particular.
  It is difficult to imagine that increased commercial truck traffic, 
much of it brought on by NAFTA, is not adding significantly to the 
nonattainment problems in southern California. Many of us argued during 
the NAFTA debate that this agreement would bring more air and water 
pollution to an already troubled area. Nothing at that time was done 
inside the parameters of the NAFTA agreement.
  I am hopeful that our proposed GAO study will shed some light on the 
effect this increased traffic under NAFTA is having on air quality in 
our border areas. Should this study conclude that the North American 
Free Trade Agreement has, in fact, added to the ozone nonattainment 
problem in areas like San Diego, I am hopeful my colleagues will work 
with me to address this situation.
  As passed by the House Committee on Commerce, H.R. 8 will allow 
States with serious ozone nonattainment areas located on our southern 
border to require foreign registered vehicles entering these areas to 
meet State or local vehicle emissions standards. The legislation would 
prohibit entry into the United States of vehicles which do not meet 
these standards more than twice in a one-year period. H.R. 8 would 
allow other States located along the border the option of designing an 
alternative approach to requiring foreign registered vehicles to comply 
with States' vehicle emission requirements.
  Again, I would like to thank my colleagues on the Committee on 
Commerce for working with me to address the concerns that many of us 
had with this legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BILBRAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Lewis), the dean of the California delegation.
  Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my colleague for 
this very thoughtful piece of legislation. I appreciate the gentleman 
from Ohio (Mr. Brown), the ranking member of the subcommittee, for his 
assistance as well as this bill has gone forward.
  There is something wrong with this picture, Mr. Speaker and Members. 
First, I think most people understand that particularly in the summer 
months, citizens in southern California become especially concerned 
about our air. As the weather warms up, something seems to be ever 
present, and oftentimes in my own valley in San Bernardino County one 
can hardly see the mountains. Yet over the years we have made very 
significant progress as it relates to cleaning the air, particularly 
cleaning the impact upon the air that comes from mobile sources.

                              {time}  1645

  The American automobile newly produced today is a clean automobile, 
and yet shift the scene just a bit to the south. Cars and trucks 
standing in line in both directions on the border puffing smoke, and 
the air can absolutely be cut with a knife at this time of the year.
  To suggest that those vehicles that are commuting across our border 
should not meet the same standards required by American vehicles is 
absolutely not acceptable. This legislation will take a significant 
step in the direction of solving that problem.
  Currently, California law requires that foreign-plated vehicles which 
commute daily into the State must meet California vehicle standards. 
However, the law is not being enforced

[[Page H5899]]

by Federal agents at the border who do not have the authority 
necessary. This bill would provide for that authority. It would lay the 
foundation to see that foreign-plated vehicles which do not meet our 
standards do not cross our borders.
  It is, as the author has suggested, a common sense bill which in a 
very practical way addresses this very serious difficulty. The 
gentleman from California (Mr. Bilbray) should be commended for this 
work. It is a reflection of his past background as a member of the Air 
Resources Board in California. He brings that talent to the Congress 
and continues to work on the fight for clean air at home as well as 
across the country.
  Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume 
to the gentleman from California (Mr. Filner).
  Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Brown) 
for yielding me this time.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 8, the Border Smog 
Reduction Act.
  As a border Congressman, I am glad to join my colleagues as an 
original cosponsor of this legislation to address the critical issue of 
unsafe emissions from vehicles that cross the international border into 
California.
  Mr. Speaker, I am the Representative whose district contains the two 
major border crossings between Mexico and California. In that position, 
I am fully aware that our location presents our community with a wealth 
of unique cultural, social, economic and political opportunities. I 
believe this is one reason San Diego is called ``America's Finest 
City.''
  However, this proximity to our Nation's border also presents us with 
unique challenges. One such challenge we must address is the emission 
of vehicles that enter our State from Mexico, but do not meet our 
State's strict emission standards.
  It is an increasing economic reality of life at the border that 
commuters from both nations drive across that border to jobs in the 
other country and return to their home nation in the evening. Officials 
of the San Diego Air Pollution Control District estimate that of the 
approximately 45,000 vehicles that cross the San Ysidro border crossing 
in my district each day, about 7,000 are commuters.
  It is currently against State law for any car or truck to drive on 
our roads and highways without the required smog certification. Despite 
this, however, and partly due to Mexico's more lax emission standards, 
countless cars stream across into California spewing unsafe pollutants 
into our air. Unless these vehicles are stopped for other violations, 
these emissions go unchecked and unstopped.
  The legislation before us today is simply about the personal 
responsibility of the owners of these polluting vehicles. Our 
legislation will allow border officials to deny entry into our 
community any commuter vehicle that is not in compliance with our State 
laws governing motor vehicle emissions.
  Mr. Speaker, other border States should be aware that the bill 
addresses only our situation in California, and does not impose 
requirements on any other State.
  I also want to assure motorists in the San Diego border area that 
this legislation affords a 6-month grace period for owners to obtain 
certification that their vehicles meet California State standards.
  Mr. Speaker, my constituents in San Diego and Chula Vista and 
National City deserve clean air. By requiring greater responsibility by 
auto owners, I believe this legislation will help us achieve our goal 
of cleaner air for all our communities. I urge my colleagues to support 
these efforts.
  Mr. BILBRAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Dreier), the soon-to-be chairman of the 
Committee on Rules.
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California (Mr. 
Bilbray), my soon-to-be friend, for yielding me such time as I may 
consume. He has been a friend and will continue to be a friend in large 
part because while his Dear Colleague letter said that this is to deal 
with border pollution, frankly those of us from the area that the 
gentleman describes as northern California, which is Los Angeles, are 
actually in fact the beneficiaries of this, too.
  Because clearly as we have looked at those automobiles which continue 
to pump out horrible pollutants, we have seen many of them on the 
freeways of Los Angeles. And so I simply want to rise and congratulate 
the vision of the gentleman from California (Mr. Bilbray) to not only 
address the needs of the San Diego area, but I believe that they really 
transcend those.
  I also am particularly privileged to be here with the gentleman from 
Ohio (Mr. Brown), my very good friend. He and I for years debated the 
North American Free Trade Agreement. I have come to the conclusion that 
we today are able to look at issues like those that have been raised in 
the area of air quality by the gentleman from California (Mr. Bilbray) 
because of the fact that the North American Free Trade Agreement has 
focused attention on improving air quality and other environmental 
concerns.
  So, I simply want to say that as we look at the challenge that is 
ahead of us of improving our environment, there is no one who has been 
there on the frontline doing it more diligently than the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Bilbray).
  Mr. Speaker, a spectacular editorial was written by the San Diego 
Union-Tribune and should be included in the Record, so I submit that 
editorial for inclusion at this point in the Record.

           [From the San Diego Union-Tribune, June 27, 1998]

     Smog Intervention--Bill Would Aim at Nabbing Mexican Polluters

       As the largest city on the border, San Diego suffers 
     disproportionately from the growing volume of air pollution 
     generated by Mexican-registered vehicles that lack adequate 
     smog controls. That's why San Diegans should cheer the House 
     Commerce Committee's approval this week of a bill by Rep. 
     Brian Bilbray, R-Imperial Beach, to crack down on Mexican-
     registered polluters.
       California law requires Mexico-based autos that commute 
     daily into the state to meet California emission standards. 
     Most of these vehicles are owned by workers who live in 
     Mexico but have jobs in California. They include both 
     American and Mexican nationals.
       The problem, however, is that U.S. border agents have no 
     legal authority to stop border commuters who lack California 
     smog-check certificates. Bilbray's legislation would close 
     that enforcement loophole, empowering U.S. agents to impound 
     the vehicles of border commuters who are repeat offenders of 
     California's air pollution laws.
       He estimates the crackdown on Mexican-based polluters would 
     curb vehicular smog in San Diego by as much as 13 percent--a 
     very significant amount, considering that autos account for 
     the lion's share of our air pollution.
       With the Commerce Committee's approval of the bill, it is 
     expected to win passage on the House floor later this year. 
     But it has no champion in the Senate. Without one, it will 
     die when Congress adjourns in the fall.
       Bilbray's proposal applies to border crossings in 
     California only. Thus the only senators with a stake in it 
     are California Democrats Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer. 
     Our hope is that they will team up to win Senate approval of 
     the House bill so that San Diegans can breathe a bit easier.

  Mr. Speaker, the editorial points out the fact that the gentleman 
from California (Mr. Bilbray) has been working for a long period of 
time on this issue, and it ends with a very important message. After 
this measure passes the House of Representatives, it is going to need 
to go through the United States Senate. So I would implore our 
colleagues in the other body to move as expeditiously as possible on 
this very important measure.
  Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BILBRAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Iowa (Mr. Ganske).
  Mr. GANSKE. Mr. Speaker, the gentleman from California (Mr. Bilbray) 
should be commended for this piece of legislation. I have stood at that 
border crossing in San Ysidro, and the smog is awful there. It just 
does not make sense that U.S. citizens, who have to spend a lot of 
their money making sure of the air quality coming out of their cars, 
should be seeing the cars that are registered south of the border 
coming across that border crossing and spewing a whole bunch of smog 
into the environment. It is just not fair.
  This legislation takes care of that and makes it so that those cars 
that are not attaining the air quality standards of this country cannot 
come into the country. This is something that is worked out on a State-
by-State basis.

[[Page H5900]]

 It is a good piece of legislation. Every one of our colleagues should 
support this, and I commend the gentleman from California for bringing 
it to the floor.
  Mr. BILBRAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Rohrabacher), the most dynamic representative of the 
Surfing Caucus.
  Mr. ROHRABACHER. Mr. Speaker, that was ``the most dynamic,'' not the 
best surfer in the Surfing Caucus. The most dynamic member of the 
Surfing Caucus.
  Mr. Speaker, Mexico is our neighbor and I rise in strong support of 
this amendment by the gentleman from California (Mr. Bilbray) 
concerning our neighbor and our neighbors in Mexico.
  Like all neighbors, there are issues that deal with neighborhood 
effect, whether it is just an American neighborhood or whether it is a 
neighborhood with people who actually are a part of another Nation.
  Air and water pollution happens to be within that context of a 
neighborhood effect, and we must be neighborly, and we have tried to be 
neighborly with our Mexican neighbors. But we also have to watch out 
for the interests of our own people.
  Mr. Speaker, what is unfortunate is that in recent years it seems 
that we have been treating our own people worse than what we treat 
people of another country, in this case Mexico.
  I might add that this is not totally inconsistent with what our 
government seems to be doing in many areas of the world, which is 
treating our own people with more restrictions and with a harder hand 
than we treat people of other countries. I do not know why that is. 
That seems to be the way it is in many situations.
  It is only good and proper that the people of Mexico who travel to 
the United States almost on a daily basis have the same standards, 
pollution standards, that they have to deal with with their automobiles 
as we do. Otherwise, what will be the result?
  I would like to look at one result that the gentleman from California 
(Mr. Bilbray) has not looked at so far. Yes, we are talking about air 
pollution and it is wrong that there are cars from another country 
coming in that do not have the same standards as our own automobiles, 
and, yes, we do not want to have air pollution, but we also want to 
maintain an amicable relationship with these people who are our 
neighbors.
  How long will people have good will towards someone when they see 
automobiles coming down their streets pumping pollution? How much 
longer will the people of the various communities near the border or 
even further north into Los Angeles and Orange Counties have a spirit 
of good will towards the people of Mexico if they see a car coming from 
Mexico spilling this pollution into the air and putting contaminants 
into the lungs of our children and our families, when they themselves, 
of course, must go through stringent regulation and go through time and 
effort and expense to see that their own automobiles are not polluting 
and not, thus, affecting the health in a detrimental way of their 
neighbors who are American citizens?
  No, if we let this go on, there will be a breakdown in the good will 
of people who are our neighbors, who are our friends, who should be our 
friends and it is up to us to ensure that this spirit of friendship, as 
well as neighborliness, is present, and to do that we must be 
scrupulously fair and must insist on fair and equal not only treatment 
and not only rights but responsibilities of people who come into our 
country and do so on a daily basis to work.
  Finally, I would like to note that the gentleman from California (Mr. 
Bilbray) has been providing leadership on issues of cross-border 
pollution control since early in his career. Most people in this body 
may not realize that he was mayor of Imperial Beach when there was 
pollution coming down from a stream from Mexico into the United States 
into his community, and when some bureaucrats got in the way of 
correcting that situation, the gentleman from California (Mr. Bilbray) 
got onto a bulldozer and used that bulldozer to prevent that stream 
from sending its polluted waters into the American territory. This made 
him famous among the people of his area and eventually landed him here 
in Congress.
  All of us have a chance now to join the gentleman from California in 
this issue of cross-border pollution and watch out for the interests of 
the American people, which is after all our primary job as Members of 
the United States Congress.
  Mr. BILBRAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from the Surfing 
Caucus for his kind words. Sadly, the pollution has closed our beaches 
in Imperial Beach this weekend so there are still battles to be fought 
there. I would just like to ask the ranking member if he has any more 
speakers or if he would like to make a closing statement?
  Mr. Speaker, at this time I would ask for support of H.R. 8, but let 
me just point out, again, that, first of all, I want to apologize. I 
think we should all apologize to the people that live on the border 
region, that this body has had to spend 3\1/2\ years talking about 
doing something to help the environment and we have not taken action. 
It happens to be the nature of the creature. Congress moves slow. The 
Federal Government moves slow and let us just hope that the Senate will 
take up this bill and move it forward.
  At the time that Smog Check 2 is going to be mandated, is being 
mandated, by the Federal Government on the people of California, it is 
essential that we get H.R. 8 through to show fairness and equity and we 
believe that everyone should be responsible for the environment, no 
matter where they live or where they commute in from.
  Mr. Speaker, I would ask for the passage of H.R. 8 and ask for 
unanimous support from Congress as we received it from the full 
committee, and I thank the ranking member for his help today here on 
this bill.
  Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I urge Members to support the bill.
  Mr. PACKARD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend a fellow San 
Diegan, Congressman Brian Bilbray (R-CA), on his leadership in helping 
to reduce air pollution in southern California. Mr. Bilbray's 
legislation, The Border Smog Reduction Act of 98, H.R. 8, is a 
bipartisan approach to improving border air quality and strengthening 
our pollution control strategies in the state of California. It is 
focused on foreign commuter vehicles which often emit a 
disproportionately high level of pollutants along the border region. 
Mr. Speaker, enacting this legislation could curb vehicular smog in San 
Diego by as much as 13 percent.
  Many of the Mexican-registered vehicles, while driven by individuals 
who come legally into the U.S. for work or for school, lack the same 
smog controls required on all cars registered to the state of 
California. This bill would allow the Customs Inspector to require a 
smog certificate for any vehicle before entering into the United States 
and would empower border agents to prohibit any car from entering 
without one.
  I support this bill, as it will target and reduce a known and 
identified source of air pollution. It will improve air quality in the 
environment, and will benefit children and other vulnerable populations 
on both sides of the border.
  Mr. Speaker, I strongly support the Border Smog Reduction Act of 98 
and urge the support of all other members as it will improve our 
overall environment and public health.
  Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, I rise to support H.R. 8, the Border 
Smog Reduction Act of 1998. Introduced by my San Diego congressional 
delegation colleague, Representative Brian Bilbray, H.R. 8 is a 
practical and bipartisan approach to improving border air quality and 
strengthening our air pollution control strategies. It will give the 
federal government the authority it needs to help enforce state vehicle 
emissions requirements, without imposing new mandates or burdens on 
local government or the business community.
  In California, H.R. 8 will help to reduce high levels of smog-forming 
compounds from commuter vehicles driven across the border every day by 
people coming in to work or going to school legally in the U.S. Under 
existing state law, these vehicles are supposed to be in compliance 
with California's strict emission standards. But most presently are 
not, due to the current inability to enforce state law at the border. 
H.R. 8 will extend this enforcement ability to federal border 
inspectors at the points of entry, who will have the authority to 
ultimately turn away foreign-registered vehicles which cannot be shown 
to be in compliance with these emissions standards.
  H.R. 8 does not restrict an individual's legal access to the U.S. It 
is focused on gross-polluting commuter vehicles which emit a 
disproportionately high level of pollutants along our border region. In 
San Diego County, stringent controls exist on all stationary sources,

[[Page H5901]]

and all cars must be smog tested to standard in order to be registered. 
H.R. 8 will simply help to level the playing field, and target and 
reduce a known pollution problem. While it would initially apply only 
to California, other border states are given the flexibility to 
implement the authority of the bill as they might see fit in the 
future. It is important to note that H.R. 8 places no new mandates or 
requirements on other states.
  I am pleased to be a cosponsor of this measure, and I urge all of my 
Colleagues to support this common-sense legislation.
  Mr. WAXMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak on H.R. 8, The Border Smog 
Reduction Act of 1998.
  I want to commend Chairman Bliley, Chairman Bilirakis, Representative 
Bilbray, Representative Brown, and Representative Stupak for working 
together to perfect this bill. H.R. 8 has been significantly improved 
from the version originally introduced.
  As currently written, this legislation will make a modest improvement 
over current law authorizing the federal government to assist States in 
efforts to control air pollution from vehicles registered in foreign 
countries.
  This legislation is not perfect and I remain concerned about an 
approach which statutorily restricts vehicles from entering the San 
Diego border more than twice in any one year. I question whether it 
will be possible to inspect and repair vehicles commuting daily from 
Mexico in only two visits. It's not difficult to imagine a host of 
problems when this plan is actually implemented.
  Additionally, I think it's a mistake to exclude commercial traffic in 
San Diego from federal enforcement, when light-duty commercial traffic 
is responsible for the same types of air pollution problems that 
noncommercial traffic is. In effect, this legislation will focus on 
pollution from commuting workers and students, while ignoring pollution 
from commercial vehicles.
  Notwithstanding these reservations, I commend Representative Bilbray 
for resolving most of my concerns. I am especially pleased that 
California will have the option of changing their program from the 
prescriptive one mandated in this legislation.
  I also want to commend Representative Brown for a study he has 
sponsored that will analyze the impacts on air quality associated with 
the passage of the North American Free Trade Act. This will provide 
critical information for future efforts to control the adverse 
environmental effects of foreign diesel trucks entering our country.
  Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. BILBRAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Bilbray) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 8, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________